ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The family of a 17-year-old African-American boy shot to death last month in his gated Florida community by a white Neighborhood Watch captain wants to see the captain arrested, the family's lawyer said on Wednesday.

Trayvon Martin was shot dead after he took a break from watching NBA All-Star game television coverage to walk 10 minutes to a convenience store to buy snacks including Skittles candy requested by his 13-year-old brother, Chad, the family's lawyer Ben Crump said.

"He was a good kid," Crump said in an interview, adding that the family would issue a call for the Watch captain's arrest at a news conference on Thursday. "On his way home, a Neighborhood Watch loose cannon shot and killed him."

[Related: Fla. teen avoids deportation]

Trayvon, who lived in Miami with his mother, had been visiting his father and stepmother in a gated townhome community called The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, 20 miles north of Orlando.

As Trayvon returned to the townhome, Sanford police received a 911 call reporting a suspicious person.

Although names are blacked out on the police report, Crump and media reports at the time of the shooting identified the caller as George Zimmerman who is listed in the community's newsletter as the Neighborhood Watch captain.

Without waiting for police to arrive, Crump said, Zimmerman confronted Trayvon, who was on the sidewalk near his home. By the time police got there, Trayvon was dead of a single gunshot to the chest.

"What do the police find in his pocket? Skittles," Crump said. "A can of Arizona ice tea in his jacket pocket and Skittles in his front pocket for his brother Chad."

Zimmerman could not be reached for comment on Wednesday evening at a phone number listed for him on the community's newsletter.

Crump said the family was concerned that police might decide to consider the shooting as self defense, and that police have ignored the family's request for a copy of the original 911 call, which they think will shed light on the incidents.

"If the 911 protocol across the country held to form here, they told him not to get involved. He disobeyed that order," said Ryan Julison, a spokesman for the family.

"He (Zimmerman) didn't have to get out of his car," said Crump, who has prepared a public records lawsuit to file on Thursday if the family doesn't get the 911 tape. "If he never gets out of his car, there is no reason for self-defense. Trayvon only has skittles. He has the gun."

Since Trayvon, a high school junior who wanted to be a pilot, was black and Zimmerman is white, Crump said race is "the 600 pound elephant in the room."

"Why is this kid suspicious in the first place? I think a stereotype must have been placed on the kid," Crump said.

It's amazing to me that anyone would defend a citizen gunning down an unarmed minor inside a residential area.

For those of you who say "I'm sure he reacted calmly"... You're a ****ing retard. Citizens cannot simply go around pointing guns at other people they're suspicious of. We have laws. If this shit was kosher I'd have already killed a few hundred people. This guy is a murderer.

Apparently when gunning down a black kid in a white neighborhood "He came at me with a bag of skittles" is a legit defense.

It's amazing to me that anyone would defend a citizen gunning down an unarmed minor inside a residential area.

For those of you who say "I'm sure he reacted calmly"... You're a ****ing retard. Citizens cannot simply go around pointing guns at other people they're suspicious of. We have laws. If this shit was kosher I'd have already killed a few hundred people. This guy is a murderer.

Apparently when gunning down a black kid in a white neighborhood "He came at me with a bag of skittles" is a legit defense.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. WhiteWhale has already decided that the guy was "going around pointing guns at other people they're suspicious of." The quoted article doesn't actually say what happened, and yet WhiteWhale is assuming the guy just pulled his gun, ran up and shot the kid. Now if the guy goes to court, he not only has to prove that didn't happen, but also that the kid posed an imminent threat to him.

More people think like this and Wickedson, that all guns are bad and should all be outlawed and are not very forgiving to people who choose to lawfully carry weapons.

I'm not defending him at all, from what I gather, he was the one who initiated the confrontation, which you never ever ever do. That is where he went wrong.

The details of what actually led up to this can't be determined from either story. My take is that the guy approached the kid (who was only visiting the neighborhood and NOT a resident), asked him where he was headed, and the kid gave him attitude, and it went downhill from there. Either could have walked away - a polite response would have certainly been an end to the situation. Don't know - wasn't there.

My biggest problem with this is the Yahoo story itself - which is pure yellow journalism specifically intended to incite idiots like Bump and Wickedson into indignant fits of liberal outrage.

That's what makes sense to me. The guy didnt have to confront the kid, that was a mistake. The kid easily could have played along and waited for the police to show up without there being a fight. Another mistake.

People are acting like dude rolled up jumped out of the car, shot the kid then yelled stop or I will shoot.

Possibly not, just offering up the possiblity since we don't know what words were exchanged and when it got heated.

Exactly. We have no idea.

I can, however, imagine this "neighborhood watch" dude acting out his Dirty Harry fantasies as he rids The Retreat at Twin Lakes of evildoers and enemies of the American way of life.

If I'm reading the report correctly, the cops were on their way when this moron disobeyed the 911 operator's instructions, then exited his automobile in order to confront this kid. To me (and, of course, I'm only surmising here based upon years of study in the field of knucklehead behavior), that sounds like an out-of-control imbecile with narcissistic tendencies. It doesn't sound like a casual, "Hey man, what's up?"

Whatever he did led to an escalation ... and that's just plain stupid.

The details of what actually led up to this can't be determined from either story. My take is that the guy approached the kid (who was only visiting the neighborhood and NOT a resident), asked him where he was headed, and the kid gave him attitude, and it went downhill from there. Either could have walked away - a polite response would have certainly been an end to the situation. Don't know - wasn't there.

My biggest problem with this is the Yahoo story itself - which is pure yellow journalism specifically intended to incite idiots like Bump and Wickedson into indignant fits of liberal outrage.

It doesn't matter if the kid was rude. The guy is not a police officer and shot an unarmed person in the chest.

Gated community. I am sure there are several in Nashville, wait until it gets late tonight and go walking around in a few of them and see how long it takes for someone to ask if they can help you out.

I am in no way condoning how the guy handled the situation, I do however think people are off base on this whole murder concept.

I live in one. And we don't cotton to any walkers-by round these parts, neither.

Depending on the neighborhood, you either have a guard or you have a security code. It's damn difficult to jump the fence. I know that from personal experience. Seriously, it's not unusual to see a strange face here from time to time.

Look ... I don't know what happened, obviously. But, gun play in this particular situation just seems a little over the top.

I can, however, imagine this "neighborhood watch" dude acting out his Dirty Harry fantasies as he rids The Retreat at Twin Lakes of evildoers and enemies of the American way of life.

If I'm reading the report correctly, the cops were on their way when this moron disobeyed the 911 operator's instructions, then exited his automobile in order to confront this kid. To me (and, of course, I'm only surmising here based upon years of study in the field of knucklehead behavior), that sounds like an out-of-control imbecile with narcissistic tendencies. It doesn't sound like a casual, "Hey man, what's up?"

Whatever he did led to an escalation ... and that's just plain stupid.

FAX

I don't see anywhere in the article that is says he disobeyed a 911 operator and as far as his best Dirty Harry impression.....sounds like he was getting his ass whipped before he shot the kid.

I wholeheartedly agree with the bolded part. Dude is 25, not too smart of an age.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. WhiteWhale has already decided that the guy was "going around pointing guns at other people they're suspicious of." The quoted article doesn't actually say what happened, and yet WhiteWhale is assuming the guy just pulled his gun, ran up and shot the kid. Now if the guy goes to court, he not only has to prove that didn't happen, but also that the kid posed an imminent threat to him.

More people think like this and Wickedson, that all guns are bad and should all be outlawed and are not very forgiving to people who choose to lawfully carry weapons.

I'm not defending him at all, from what I gather, he was the one who initiated the confrontation, which you never ever ever do. That is where he went wrong.

You cannot shoot people with guns unless the barrel is pointed at them. That isn't about gun rights, it's about function. Of course he pointed the gun at him. Otherwise the kid wouldn't have a bullet in his chest, nor would he have come down with a sudden case of death. I never said anything about him running up waving a gun and opening fire, but when your argument is weak you must create holes in another's statements to make yours appear more valid. I understand.

I also didn't say anything about guns being bad nor did I utter a word about gun control. Another assertion you make out of ignorance to strengthen your position that this guy shouldn't have to defend killing an unarmed person in court. Yeah, I know you didn't actually assert that. Since you were doing it I thought I'd be cool and try it.

He had no right to confront a stranger walking in their gated community? I disagree. Was he an over zealous dumbass? Yes he was.

He was fighting himself when other people called 911 to complain about 2 men fighting?

Once again, reading comprehension is your friend.

He sounds to be guilty of manslaughter at the worst.

If I come to visit you in your gated community and I decide to go for a walk, you telling me that all you nieghbors have a right to confront me at every turn? Nope gated or not they still on in the U.S. and if Im confronted I have a right to assess the situation and to protect myself if I feel threaten. Now as for your nieghrbors approaching me for walking they have no right. If they are that worried they should have hired a gate guard so that anyone who come into the nieghborhood would have to leave the info about there visit.

You cannot shoot people with guns unless the barrel is pointed at them. That isn't about gun rights, it's about function. Of course he pointed the gun at him. Otherwise the kid wouldn't have a bullet in his chest, nor would he have come down with a sudden case of death. I never said anything about him running up waving a gun and opening fire, but when your argument is weak you must create holes in another's statements to make yours appear more valid. I understand.

I also didn't say anything about guns being bad nor did I utter a word about gun control. Another assertion you make out of ignorance to strengthen your position that this guy shouldn't have to defend killing an unarmed person in court. Yeah, I know you didn't actually assert that. Since you were doing it I thought I'd be cool and try it.

If you feel like discussing this like a grown up, I'll be here.

I would say the fact he was crying out for help and getting his ass whipped tells you he didn't just roll up guns a blazing.

It doesn't matter if the kid was rude. The guy is not a police officer and shot an unarmed person in the chest.

If you READ THE ACTUAL STORY, not the bleeding heart Yahoo piece of crap, you'll see that there was an altercation first, and evidence that the watch guy was physically assaulted. Did this happen prior to him drawing his weapon or in response to him drawing his weapon? That information is not available at this time.

Forgive me if I'm not stupid enough to jump to conclusions here just because our comrades at Yahoo would have me believe the evile white guy popped our poor innocent young black wannabe pilot skittle loving victim just for racist kicks.

If I come to visit you in your gated community and I decide to go for a walk, you telling me that all you nieghbors have a right to confront me at every turn? Nope gated or not they still on in the U.S. and if Im confronted I have a right to assess the situation and to protect myself if I feel threaten. Now as for your nieghrbors approaching me for walking they have no right. If they are that worried they should have hired a gate guard so that anyone who come into the nieghborhood would have to leave the info about there visit.

What law says they cant confront you?

If you asses you need to beat someone's ass over it, make sure they aren't carrying a weapon.